The invention herein described relates generally to the art of cushioning conversion machines (dunnage converters) that produce pads useful as dunnage for packing articles for shipment, storage or otherwise. More particularly, the invention relates to systems employing one or more of such machines and mechanisms for handling the pads produced by such machine or machines for controlled transport and/or delivery of the pads in a useful manner, including in particular the insertion of the pads into containers for packing an article in the container.
Cushioning conversion machines heretofore have been used to convert sheet stock material, such as paper in multi-ply form, into low density cushioning products, or pads. Examples of these machines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,026,198; 4,085,662; 4,109,040; 4,237,776; 4,557,716; 4,650,456; 4,717,613; 4,750,896; 4,968,291; 5,123,889; and 5,322,477. These machines include a forming assembly through which the sheet stock material is advanced by a feed assembly. The forming assembly causes the sheet stock material to be inwardly rolled on itself and crumpled to form a relatively low density strip of cushioning. The strip of cushioning is severed to form pads of desired lengths by a severing assembly located downstream of the forming and feeding assemblies.
In the above-discussed cushioning conversion machines, and in many other types of dunnage pad producing machines, the pads are discharged in a predetermined discharge direction through an outlet. Typically, the pads are discharged to a transitional zone from which the pads may later be removed at the appropriate time for insertion into a container (for example, a box, carton, etc.) for cushioning purposes.
In the past, a variety of arrangements have been used to provide a transitional zone in a packaging system. For example, temporary receptacles (i.e., bins) have been placed adjacent the machine""s outlet so that the pads can be discharged therein to form a pile. At the appropriate time, a packaging person would reach into the transitional receptacle, retrieve a pad from the accumulated pile, return to his/her workstation and then insert the pad in the container.
Another arrangement used a horizontal packaging surface, such as a table top, onto which the pads were deposited. When a packaging need arises, the packaging person picks up the pad from the transitional surface and then, if the transitional surface also functions as a workstation, immediately inserts the pad in the container.
Slides also have been used. One such slide consisted of a semi-cylindrical conduit having a width just slightly greater than the width of the pads. The slide was positioned adjacent to the machine so that its top portion was proximate to the machine""s outlet whereby the discharged pads would be deposited thereon. Additionally, the slide was oriented relative to the machine so that it was longitudinally aligned with the product direction discharge. (In other words, the slide direction was a continuation of the machine""s discharge direction.) In this manner, the discharged pads stacked end-to-end in the conduit and, at the appropriate time, the bottom pad would be removed and used for cushioning purposes. After the bottom pad was removed, the other pads on the slide would slide down, thereby presenting a next pad for removal.
Other arrangements have used conveyors to convey the pads away from the machine. The pads exiting the machine are fed onto a conveyor which transfers them to a packaging station. Oftentimes the conveyor is used to accumulate a supply of pads that are made available to the packager at the packaging station. To facilitate the transfer of each pad from the machine to a conveyor, a powered outfeed device has been employed at the outlet of the machine.
Also known are powered outfeed devices that move the pad along a curved path. In each of these outfeed devices, the pad is moved longitudinally, i.e., in a direction parallel to its longitudinal axis. In addition, these powered devices operate to advance a pad whenever presented to them by the machine. That is, as soon as a pad is produced and cut to length by the machine, the powered outfeed device acts on the pad to advance the pad away from the machine.
Packaging systems employing dunnage converters also have employed vacuum pick and place devices for picking up dunnage pads at a pick-up location and depositing the pad in a container such as a box or carton. Although such devices have been successfully used in the past, a problem arises when highly crumpled surfaces are presented to the suction elements in that a good seal can not always be obtained. This may result in a pad not getting picked up or the pad prematurely dropping off of the pick and place device.
The present invention provides a pad production and packaging system and method for automatically producing dunnage pads and inserting one or more of the produced dunnage pads into a container for packaging of an article in the container. The invention is characterized by a pad discharge assembly and/or pad insertion assembly, and preferably both integrated together to provide an automatic pad production and packaging system and method that afford advantages over existing pad production and packaging arrangements.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a pad production and delivery system, and method, which provide for controlled discharge of dunnage pads produced by a pad producing machine. A preferred pad production and delivery system and method are characterized by a pad producing machine for producing a dunnage pad and a discharge assembly for receiving the pads from the pad producing machine and for holding the pad at a holding zone with the pad extending longitudinally in a first direction. The discharge assembly includes a gating device for effecting passage of the pad out of the holding zone in a direction transverse to the first direction.
In a preferred embodiment, the gating device includes a gate movable between a closed position holding the pad at the holding zone and an open position permitting passage of the pad out of the holding zone. The holding zone has a bottom opening for passage of the pad therethrough, and the gate when closed blocks the pad from falling through the open bottom and when open permits falling of the pad through the bottom opening, as onto a conveyor disposed beneath the bottom opening. The gate includes at least one gate member and preferably two gate members mounted at opposite sides of the bottom opening for pivotal movement between open and closed positions. A preferred gate member includes a bottom shelf and a side wall disposed generally at right angle to one another and spaced from the side wall of the other gate member by about the width of the dunnage pad. An actuator mechanism is provided for swinging the gate members between the open and closed positions thereof. A preferred actuator mechanism includes a linear actuator and a linkage assembly connecting the actuator mechanism to the gate members.
According to another aspect of the invention, a pad production and delivery system and method are characterized by a pad producing machine for producing a dunnage pad, a discharge assembly for receiving the pads from the pad producing machine and for releasably holding the pad at a holding zone, a conveyor for conveying the pads away from the pad producing machine, and a controller for causing the discharge assembly to release a pad held in the holding zone for passage onto the conveyor in synchronous relation to movement of the conveyor for controlled deposition of pads onto the conveyor. More particularly, the controller may be operative to release pads from the holding zone in timed relationship to the conveyor. In another arrangement, the controller may operate to release pads from the holding zone in response to an indexing movement of the conveyor. More particularly, the conveyor may have pad capture devices thereon progressively indexed to a pad transfer location, and the discharge assembly may include a gating device, such as the aforesaid gating device, for effecting passage of the pad out of the holding zone to a respective capture device in response to movement of the respective capture device into the pad transfer location.
According to still another aspect of the invention, a pad production and packaging system comprises a pad producing machine for producing a dunnage pad, a conveyor for conveying the pad from the pad producing machine to a pad insertion zone disposed above a support for a container into which one or more pads are to be inserted, and a pusher assembly for pushing a pad from the pad insertion zone and toward the support for the container, thereby to insert the pad into a container on the support. In a preferred embodiment, the conveyor conveys the pad into the pad insertion zone in a first direction, and the pusher assembly is operative to push the pad from the pad insertion zone in a direction transverse to the first direction. A preferred pusher assembly includes a plunger for engaging and pushing a pad located at the pad insertion zone; and the pad insertion zone includes an opening over which a pad is conveyed by the conveyor, and the plunger is operable to push the pad through the opening for insertion into a container.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a pad production and packaging system comprises a container conveyor for conveying and sequentially delivering containers to a container filling station, a pad conveyor for conveying a plurality of pads therealong for sequential delivery to the container filling station where one or more pads are to be inserted into a container located at the container filling station, a plurality of pad producing machines for automatically producing dunnage pads and automatically supplying the dunnage pads to the pad conveyor at respective locations located upstream of the container filling station, and a pad insertion assembly for automatically inserting into a container at the container filling station the pads as they are sequentially delivered to the container filling station. Preferably, the pad conveyor is operable to successively index the pads into the container filling station, and the pad insertion assembly is operable to insert the pads into containers at a rate faster than the rate at which any one of the plurality of pad producing machines is capable of producing the dunnage pads.
Although the above characterized systems preferably employ a pad producing machine as a supply of dunnage pads, the present invention in a broader sense embodies the use of other supplies of dunnage pads. For example, the pad producing machine may be replaced by another source of dunnage pads, for example, a roll of dunnage in the form of a continuous strip from which the dunnage strip may be payed off of the roll and cut to length to form a dunnage pad when needed. Accordingly, such supply includes a support for the roll of dunnage and a severing mechanism for cutting the dunnage pad to length. Another type of supply that may be used is a magazine for storing a plurality of pads that may be fed therefrom as needed. Also, the supply may supply pads of various types including converted paper pads as well as other pads, for example bubble wrap pads, foam pads, etc.
The invention also provides a sensor curtain for use with a discharge assembly that has at least one side thereof only partially blocked when a pad is being fed into the discharge assembly, the partially blocked side of the discharge assembly allowing possible insertion of a foreign object into the discharge assembly through the partially blocked side thereof and into contact with a severing device located adjacent an entry end of the discharge assembly. The sensor curtain is disposed to detect the insertion of a foreign object through the partially blocked side of the discharge assembly and provide an output for disabling a severing operation. In this manner, damage to the foreign object and/or severing assembly may be prevented. The sensor curtain may be configured to detect different sizes of foreign objects by varying a grid size of the sensor curtain. Moreover, the sensor curtain may be disposed to determine when the aforesaid gating device has returned to a pad receive condition, as by determining when a gate or gates of such gating device have returned to their closed position for receiving a pad and thus are no longer in their open position for discharging a pad.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a pad production and packaging system comprises a pad producing machine for producing a dunnage pad and supplying the dunnage pad to a pad insertion zone, and a pad insertion assembly for inserting the pad from the pad insertion zone into a container disposed below the pad insertion zone. Preferably, the pad producing machine includes a pad passage opening in communication with the pad insertion zone for permitting the pad to be supplied directly into the pad insertion zone immediately after it has exited the pad passage opening. In a preferred embodiment, a mounting assembly couples the system to a stand in such a manner that the pad producing machine and pad insertion assembly are selectively rotatable relative to the stand from an operating position to a loading position, wherein the pad producing machine and pad insertion assembly are preferably selectively rotatable about a vertical axis relative to the stand in a horizontal plane.
These and other features of the invention are fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and annexed drawings set forth in detail one illustrative embodiment of the invention, this embodiment being indicative of but one of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.